BILLY JOEL 100. Today: #45-41. More-  tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS BY

BILLY JOEL

William Martin Joel was born in The Bronx, New York in 1949. He grew up on Long Island and began studying the piano in 1953. Billy joined his first band 10 years later. In 1971, he signed a recording contract as a soloist. That year, he released his solo debut album. Since then, his music has been the soundtrack for countless fans.

Here are 100 of his best works…

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45

CAPTAIN JACK

“Captain Jack” was the track that set everything in motion for Billy Joel’s recording career. The piano man was dealing with his disappointment with the mixing and inadequate promotion of ‘Cold Spring Harbor’. He planned to sit out the remainder of his contract. While touring to promote his debut LP, he had recorded a live gig for a radio station in Philadelphia. A DJ at WMMR began giving one track airplay. That song was “Captain Jack” and it proved popular with listeners. This brought Billy to the attention of Clive Davis and others at Columbia Records. They signed him up and released the performer from his contract with previous label Family Productions. The song wound up on Billy’s next album: ‘Piano Man’ and has remained one of his most popular tracks.

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44

DON’T ASK ME WHY

A #19 hit in America and peaking at #4 in Canada, “Don’t Ask Me Why” was inspired by the time Billy spent in Spain. It was the third single lifted off ‘Glass Houses’.

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43

THE ENTERTAINER

“The Entertainer’ deals with the harsh realities of being a musician. It is the most accessible track on ‘Streetlife Serenade’ and in a way continues the theme explored in the title track of his previous album ‘Piano Man’. The single reached #34 on the US chart.

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42

LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE

“Leave A Tender Moment Alone” features Toots Thieleman on harmonica. It was one of the singles lifted off ‘An Innocent Man’ and made the Top 30 in both America and Britain.

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41

THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT

“Through The Long Night” is the closing song on ‘Glass Houses’ and is a sharp contrast from the more rock and pop leaning tracks on the album. The beautiful ballad is one of Billy’s most underrated gems.

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Hear the songs as updated on this blog via the new Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rYz7gZBJy1zHNoITZ8HwV?si=7ba2b1960f404546